Heathcote’s reputation as a premier wine region received a recent boost when the Heathcote Wine Hub was voted the best boutique wine store in Australia.

Customers across Australia voted during May for their favourite independent wine stores across four categories in Wine Business Magazine’s annual WineRules Awards.

Heathcote Wine Hub owner Brett Marsh said the award was testimony to the steadily growing popularity of the Heathcote Wine region.

‘‘The hub is unique,’’ Mr Marsh said.

‘‘It represents wines from across the whole Heathcote region, all under one roof.

‘‘Visitors can enjoy a personal tasting of up to 24 regional wines or buy from a choice of around 200, but it really comes down to customer experience.

‘‘Our staff have exceptional knowledge of the region, its wines and its winemakers, and they love to share their passion and knowledge with our customers,’’ Mr Marsh said.

Heathcote Wine Hub manager Steve Oates said he was pleased with the award and especially the overwhelming online response from happy customers—a factor in the store’s win that was noted by the judges.

‘‘We’re very thankful for the support,’’ Mr Oates said.

‘‘We have a great, loyal base of customers and their support was a major contributor to winning the award.’’

Brett and Jodi Marsh bought the former Cellar and Store in Heathcote in April 2012 and after renovations re-opened the store as the Heathcote Wine Hub in June 2012.

The aim was to provide a single destination to showcase the quality, value and diversity of Heathcote’s many great wines and winemakers.

‘‘It is great to be recognised as one of Australia’s best and we’re proud of the great diversity of wines we sell from Heathcote,’’ Mr Oates said.

Melbourne’s Blackhearts and Sparrows store won the best large wine store category, while the honours in the specialty store category were shared by Wine Republic (Fitzroy), Bond’s Fine Wines (Northbridge, NSW) and Armadale Cellars in Melbourne.